Previously, a decontamination of the skin after contact with hazardous substances released by chemical and reactor accidents, for example, is carried out mainly by intensive washing using different detergents and solvents. However, this way of proceeding has the disadvantage that it is hardly possible or not possible at all to extract particles of noxious substances which have already penetrated the hair follicles or the upper skin cell layer, i.e. the upper corneocytes of the stratum corneum, which constitute a long-term reservoir for topically applied substances. Furthermore, in case of a decontamination, the noxious substances which are to be removed from the skin surface are partially rubbed in the hair follicles and the skin furrows by an intensive washing. In this way, the long-term effect of the noxious substances in the skin may even be increased. Additionally, efficient methods for skin decontamination may be not only important in the case of industrial or research accidents, but also in relation to terrorist attacks. Accordingly, there is a need to provide a material and method for decontaminating the skin which permits an effective removal of noxious substances from the skin surface without washing.
DE-A 102005054698 discloses a nanofiber nonwoven finished with a superabsorbent, the nanofiber nonwoven being used for the absorption and/or the slow release of different fluids, in particular of body liquids.
Nonwovens made of textile fibers having a diameter of less than 10 μm, preferably of less than 1 μm, are defined as “nanofiber nonwovens”. Nanofiber nonwovens are known for example from U.S. Pat. No. 4,043,331 and from International Patent Application WO 01/27365. These documents also disclose methods for the manufacturing of these nonwovens, and are incorporated herein by reference.
The term “superabsorbent” denotes polymer materials which can absorb water or other fluids up to a thousand times their mass, whereby swelling to form a gel. Superabsorbents and methods of their manufacture are generally known from Ullmanns Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry, 6th Ed., Vol. 35, pp. 73 ff., 2003. DE-A 102005054698 describes superficially post-cured superabsorbents which have a more strongly post-cured shell and a less strongly postcured core which serves to absorb fluids. Compared to superabsorbents that are not post-cured, superabsorbents having such a structure show a smaller “gel blocking” effect. This effect is caused by a clogging of swollen superabsorbent particles or superabsorbent particles which have started to swell, and has a negative impact on the absorbency and the retention ability of the superabsorbent.
Accordingly, the use of a nanofiber nonwoven in a textile composite material, wherein the nanofiber nonwoven is filled with a superabsorbent, would allow for the decontaminating of the skin from noxious substances without washing.